Orbital moves closer to deal with Chinese auto giant

Perth company announced this week that its advanced direct injection fuel system has passed muster with China’s second largest car maker

Orbital has negotiated a critical ‘vehicle demonstration gateway’ with Chongqing Changan by demonstrating the environmental benefits of its FlexDI system.

The system has been proven to cut fuel consumption and GHG emissions in Changan’s new Intelligent Compound Combustion Systems (ICCS), while boosting performance.

A recent round of ICCS testing saw an ICCS-equipped demonstration vehicle achieve Euro 4 emissions compliance figures over the standard European drive cycle, with drops in fuel consumption of up to 20 per cent against a conventional engine running under the same conditions. At idle, fuel consumption dropped by up to 40 per cent.

FlexDI isn’t new: since 1996 it’s been fitted to more than 650,000 scooters, ATVs, marine outboards and auto-rickshaws around the world. But this is the first time it’s made its way into a passenger car.

FlexDI’s big advantage over competing DI systems lies in its not being dependent on ultra high internal pressure levels to convert liquid fuel into a superfine spray as it exits into the inlet manifold. Instead, it delivers fuel at comparatively low pressure, using air pressure instead to atomise it. This, the company says, means it can deliver the benefits of DI in developing markets such as China, even when fuel quality is low.

Orbital has been working on remodelling the system for integration into Changan’s four-cylinder ICCS engines since 2009, when the Chinese giant came looking for ways to meet tighter domestic fuel consumption regulations set to take effect in 2012.

In 2010, the project gained a further fillip with a grant from the federal government’s now defunct Green Car Innovation Fund.

Changan’s operations combine a range of own-branded cars and commercial vehicles in its home market, alongside joint venture manufacturing projects with multinational auto makers such as Ford, PSA Peugeot, Citroën and Suzuki.

Picture: Front row, from left] Changan's ICCS project director, Dir. Zhan, Orbital's project manager, Nick Coplin, Orbital's director of engineering, Geoff Cathcart, and technical members of the ICCS team.

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